Gardeners & Farmers of Terre Vivante

Centre Terre Vivante is an ecological research and education
center located in Mens, Domaine de Raud, a region of southeastern
France. Terre Vivante hosts courses on regenerative gardening and
farming, renewable energy, and ecological building techniques. In
addition to more than fifty books, Terre Vivante publishes the
influential organic gardening magazine, Les Quatre Saisons du
jardinage. Eliot Coleman is the author of two best-selling
gardening books, The New Organic Grower and Four-Season
Harvest.

Terre Vivante is a nonprofit association founded in 1980 to
promote a way of life that is respectful of the natural
environment. Until the early 1990s, Terre Vivante's main activity
was the publication of an organic gardening magazine, Les Quatre
Saisons du jardinage. Since 1994, with the creation of a
remarkable ecological education center, the work of Terre Vivante
has taken on new dimensions, including:

Construction of hands-on demonstrations of numerous ecological
approaches to the challenges of daily hft, for instance
energy-efficient buildings, organic gardens, and water-conservation
methods

A range of projects intended to contribute to the revival of a
rural region, after years of decline

Assistance and support for farmers and gardeners, particularly
in the development of long-term plans to widen the popularity of
ecological agricultural techniques

The design of Centre Terre Vivante's facilities and programs is
based upon "first principles"—clean air, clean water, and
clean food, which used to be the birthright of all people. Although
the effects of pollution can now be traced throughout the world, at
Terre Vivante the malign impacts of human development are being
minimized. On formerly infertile land at an altitude of more than
two thousand feet above sea level, Terre Vivante's
horticulturalists are growing a wide range of foods, induding
forgotten or endangered varieties, relying entirely upon composts
and organic fertilizers generated nearby In addition to vegetables
and flowers, visitors can see a bamboo garden, nursery, playground,
wild meadows, and a constructed wetlands for waste-water treatment.
Terre Vivante's buildings demonstrate the potential for
earth-friendly construction, utilizing passive and active solar
features including photovoltaics, composting toilets, solar and
wood-burning water heaters, and natural materials. The center's
restaurant offers delicious meals made from locally grown
ingredients, featuring many regional favorites, and has been
described as having "the finest restaurant view in Europe."

The publishing program of Terre Vivante has grown beyond
production of the magazine Les Quatre Saisons to encompass a
list of more than fifty books on a diversity of subjects, including
organic gardening, health and nutrition, ecological building
methods, and environmental education. An ongoing series of lectures
and workshops is also offered at the center, with schedules
available on Terre Vivante's web site.

Centre Terre Vivante is open to visitors from May through
October. For more information, please contact:

Terre Vivante

Domaine de Raud telephone: 33 (0)4 76 34 80 80

BP 20-38710 Mens cedex fax: 33 (0)4 76 34 84 02

Isére, France

Gardeners & Farmers of Terre Vivante's Books

If you're a dedicated gardener you probably know about hot-water-bath canning and pickling, but there are many other ways to preserve the bounty of your harvest so it will last the whole year. This set combines a classic book on food preservation with a new book on gardening that includes some innovative preservation methods.